Another laughable puff piece in the series displays the Bee’s continued insistence that Sacramento Charter High School has been transformed by the St. Hope Corporation into a successful school with glowing reviews.

Well, we won’t go there at the moment…

Instead, let’s offer up some real alternatives on how to improve schools that show deteriorating test scores — if that truly is the measure of how we are failing to educate our children.

For instance, the concept of building Smart Education Systems aspires to promote and sustain high-quality student learning on a grass-roots level — at the school, in the home and in the local community. A smart system requires partnerships among the school district, other city agencies, cultural institutions, community groups, and businesses.

Unlike the Bee suggests, we cannot close down schools and reestablish them again in leaner configurations. And we cannot solely abdicate our public responsibility to the corporate pressures of charter school reform and not expect to pay a high price for that surrender.

Another glaring omission in the Bee’s editorial equation is the urgent need to involve parents as education advocates. The concept of Parent U-Turn is succeeding in The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Where is a similar implementation model for SCUSD?

The solutions are out there. We need to open our eyes and roll up our sleeves.***